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the largest for British heritages, encompassing the majority of content in History textbooks
when British heritages are included in Australian history.
5.5.1 Discourses of loyalty (not military related).
The discourse of loyalty, outside of explicitly military contexts, includes both British born
Australians (see, for example, Department of Public Instruction, 1913b) and non-British born
Australians (see, for example, Department of Public Instruction, 1933). Textbooks from this
era identify loyalty as an important aspect of Australian identity communicated through
phrases such as “retaining a common allegiance to the British throne” (Department of Public
Instruction, 1913b, p. 219), and “Each settlement had grown from small numbers until it
became great enough to possess a government of its own, quite independent of other colonies,
but still bound to the British Empire” (Department of Public Instruction, 1913b, p. 219,
emphasis added). So, even when Britons moved permanently to Australia, allegiance and
loyalty was still expected to be given to Great Britain. This is supported by public discourses
of the time, including a major contributing factor for why Australia declared war when Great
Britain did, as stated in The Argus newspaper on 3 rd August 1914:
The Prime Minister…assumes rightly that ‘both parties are favourable to everything
being done to make the country secure and to keep its activities going.’
…Speaking at Horsham on Thursday night, Mr. Cook said:—
Whatever happens, Australia is a part of the Empire right to the full.
Remember that when the Empire is at war, so is Australia at war. ...So far as the
defences go here and now in Australia, I want to make it quite clear that all our
resources in Australia are in the Empire and for the Empire, and for the preservation
and the security of the Empire.
At Colac on Friday night Mr. Fisher said:—
Turn your eyes to the European situation, and give the kindest feelings towards
the mother country at this time. ...Should the worst happen after everything had been
done that honour will permit, Australians will stand beside our own to help and
defend her to our last man and our last shilling. (M. Clark, 1963, p. 523)
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